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July 13, 2014

Demons Ascension - Pentagram

Vacation time bitches!...also, this is apparently the 200th post of TNW. Not all of them are stories/poems and not all of them were by me but it's still a nifty accomplishment. Here's to the next 200!

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[Demons Ascension - Pentagram]

James and Amanda spent some time
together before he left to join John, Lyle and some other officers by
Bradford's desk where a radio was set up to listen to the cops out waiting by
the apartments. The wait began around 3 but by 5:30 many of the officers grew
bored or had better things to do. Eventually it was just Lyle, James and John
left.
"According to the ritual
timer," James said "We still have half an hour before Croatoan
returns or makes any kind of move."
"Assuming the next murder
takes place in the apartments," John said.
"We've assigned two beat
cops for every person in that complex who refuses to leave their home for the
night," Lyle said "Plus we have every forensic person possible
tearing through this guys apartment. Even if he had the balls to return there,
he won't be murdering much of anyone."
"Guy stood up to a barrage
of small arms fire," John said "What makes you think a few beat cops
can take him?"
"Because these guys have
tactical gear; shotguns, assault rifles and the like. I don't care what kind of
armor that guy has backing, he ain't getting up from a close range shotgun
blast."
"I shot him in the head,
twice, and he just kept coming."
"You're full of it."
"He leapt over cars and
overturned Bradford's. Hell, Bradford tried to run him over and he stopped the
car bare handed."
"John, I don't know what
happened in that alley, but I know a human can't stop a speeding car. You need
to lay off the crack."
"You weren't there."
"I'll believe it when I
see it for myself."
"Are you two always like
this?" James asked as both men glared at him before resuming their
argument. James rolled his eyes before he walked back over to Bradford's board
where he had the big map. On it were the markings of the first four murders.
James decided to go ahead and mark the empty lot where Bradford died,
completing the star points. He then noticed a different mark due south of the
church and due east of the Williams alley.
"What's this?" he
asked as he pointed to the map mark. "That's the park," John said
"Approximately where they found the guy who killed the priest." James
looked back to the map. The man who killed Father Brooks was later left in a
precise and perfect location compared to the location of their crime.
James grabbed a marker and
circled two additional points on the map. This grabbed the interest of Lyle and
John. "What are you thinking?" John asked. James had circled a point
due south of Stephanie's murder and due west of the Williams alley. He also
circled a point directly between the church and Stephanie's house, due north of
the Williams alley and the apartments.
"The guy who killed
Williams and Allanson is here," he said as he pointed to the second mark.
"John, the guy who killed your sister is here," he said as he pointed
to the first mark. They're both dead, I bet just like the guy you already
found. It's all part of the ritual."
"So it's not a
star," Lyle said as he looked at the map.
"Oh, it's still a
star," James said "Note how the murderers mirror the location of
their victims. Croatoan murdered the last two, hence why they both mirror
outwards from the apartments. His little conduit is made."
"Conduit?" John
asked.
"Conduit," James
repeated "His power comes from a flow of energy made possible from the
sacrifices."
"Every conduit needs an
end point," John stated "It's like a pipeline. Without an end point,
most of what is transferred would be lost."
"That would be the center
then," Lyle said as he walked back to the radio. There was chatter, but it
was trivial.
"It needs to be a
circuit," James said "An infinite loop of energy."
"Well, it looks circular,"
John said as he traced a circle around the star from one point to the other. He
then returned to the desk with Lyle while James studied the map some more.
"Everything about the rituals has a reason," he said to himself as
his eyes darted between all the marked points. "The people...the
locations..." His eyes went from each murder location in order before they
went wide and he stepped back "...AND the order!"
"What was that?"
John asked, taking notice of James' words.
"It's not a star,"
he said as he spun around and pointed to the map "He didn't make a star,
he's drawing a pentagram."
"Isn't that the same
thing?" Lyle asked.
"No," James said,
talking fast "A star can be any number of sides and angles. A pentagram
isn't so much a star as it's five intersecting lines that form a five point
star. He hasn't closed the conduit yet because he hasn't finished the
pentagram. I know where the next murder will be."
James grabbed the marker and
began drawing lines on the map, first from Stephanie's murder to the alley,
then from the alley to the church, then to the Hapdale facility, then to where
Bradford died. Finally, he drew a line from Bradford back to where Stephanie
died. "Why would he go back?" Lyle said aloud before everyone
realized. "Twins," James said as he placed the marker down
"John, call your sister. Tell her to get out!"
"I keep getting
voicemail," Lyle said as he held up his phone. John tried the house number
but it kept ringing. "Are we too late?" he asked, an almost
paralyzing feel of terror in his voice. James shot a look to his watch.
"We have about 25 minutes," he said as he made for the elevators
"Lyle, I need you to drive fast." Lyle nodded and ran for the exit.
"Let's roll," John said as he grabbed his coat and went to follow.
"No, John," James
said as he put his hand up "A blood descendant is all that's really
required. You come, and you'll just double Croatoan's chances of
succeeding."
"You're not stopping
me," John said as he shouldered passed James and followed Lyle, who made
no effort to stop his partner. James bit his lip and followed, along the way
the young cop with Amanda stepped out. "You're not suppose to leave,"
he said with wide eyes. "Tell Monroe I'm taking a really big dump,"
James said without stopping. Amanda didn't notice him leaving, and James knew
he didn't have a second to spare to tell her goodbye.
Lyle drove like a man
possessed while John frantically kept alternating between calling Brittany's
cell phone and house phone to no avail. Lyle grabbed a radio and called for all
available units to converge on the house, knowing that no one was even close to
the area because they were all at the apartments. Besides that, no one said a
word, the deafening tension driving all three men mad because they knew what
was at stake.
"I don't mean to sound
pessimistic," James said at last "But we're about to try and mess
with a demon in the midst of his centuries planned ritual armed with two
pistols and desperation."
"So what are you
saying?" John asked, not taking the phone away from his ear as he listened
to the endless ring-back of the house number.
"We need a plan or
they'll find four dead people in that house."
"What do you
suggest?"